Franca got up at 330 am while I got up at 4 am so we could catch our 5 am bus to Split. Very early start to our day. Poor Franca as she had less than 2 hours of sleep on her first vacation day. She was a good sport. She didnt complain. At least not outwardly.

Our bus left on time. We slept for most of the ride. When we werent sleeping, we took turns admiring the beautiful coast. We arrived in Split at 1015 am. I was disappointed to find out that the 1130 catamaran was already full. Getting a spot on this catamaran was the only reason we took a 5 am bus to Split. Luckily, we found out that there was an 11 am ferry to Hvar which would only take 2 hours (as opposed to 1 hour if we took the catamaran). This was good news. We bought our tickets and rushed to the ferry.

We were in Hvar by 1 pm. It was perfect as it meant we would get a day on the beach. After taking a bus to Hvar Town, we called the owner of our hostel to pick us up from the bus station. After checking into our nice accomodations (Franca refused to stay in a dorm. Just kidding Franca), Franca and I quickly changed into our bathing suits and made our way to the rocky but beautiful beach where we spent the rest of the afternoon. I was happy for Franca because I am sure it was only at this point that it felt like vacation for her. She had a long day of travelling yesterday, an early wake up call today followed by a long bus ride and a short ferry ride. The light at the tunnel finally came and it wasnt a speeding train (at least not yet).

After the beach, we went back to the guesthouse and got ready for dinner. We were both exhausetd from our long day but we both wanted to go out for a good meal. I broke the bank a bit. It was the most expecive dinner of my trip. It was only $60 for my share but that is a lot for a guy on a $50/day budget. I didnt regret it though as I had grilled octopus (which tasted great).

After our dinner, I was just beat up. We decided to call it a night. Unfortunately we couldnt find our accomodations. We kept walking up and down the waterfront looking for the pathway that lead to our guesthouse and just couldnt spot it. I was 5 minutes away from getting really cranky when we found an alternate way. It was good that I didnt get cranky. Otherwise that light at the end of the tunnel would have started looking like a speeding train.